


He Needs The Space

by Writingwife83



Series: Sherlolly Week ‘17 [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love, Sharing a Bed, Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2017, first sleepover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 02:16:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10934892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writingwife83/pseuds/Writingwife83
Summary: Molly and her flat became such an integral part of Sherlock's life and happiness. But how did that all start?





	He Needs The Space

**Author's Note:**

> Previously posted on tumblr for Sherlolly Appreciation Week Day 4's theme "First Sleepover/sleep together"

Molly peered over the edge of her bed, looking down into the sea green eyes that stared back at her.

“Honestly, it’s fine. I’d actually feel better if you just came up here,” she stated sincerely. 

It wasn’t a lie. She did hate to think of him sleeping on the hard floor.

Sherlock had turned up at her door a couple hours before, dripping wet and looking like a stray dog in need of some loving care. Molly didn’t hesitate to invite him in. True, she’d only known him a couple of months, but Mike Stamford had known him longer. She’d heard nothing but good things. Well, perhaps not everything was good. But she’d heard enough to know he wasn’t a man to distrust or fear. And besides...she could just tell. 

It was painful for her to think of him bouncing around from place to place since his move to the city some weeks before. Apparently there was no family or friends he cared to stay with. She hated to think of him in the streets or God knows where else. Molly couldn’t say for sure what had motivated him to descend on her flat that night, but she was awfully glad he did. 

“This would hardly be an issue if you had another bed in your spare room. Or at least a couch in your sitting room,” he groused softly from his spot on the floor. 

“Yeah, I know,” Molly agreed with an embarrassed laugh. “It’s just that I’ve been working non stop since my move. And besides, it’s just me so I figured I had some time to sort out furnishings. And everything in the city is so expensive! So I started wondering if perhaps I should take some time to shop around for a better bargain and-”

“No need for all the details, Molly,” he said with an accompanying sigh as he finally got up with his pillow, tossing it onto the bed beside her in silent acceptance of her invitation.

She pressed her lips together as he rounded the bed to climb in on the other side. She’d would have been lying if she’d claimed her heart wasn’t beating out of her chest. By this time, and even weeks before, she had become plenty sure that she was falling hard for this idiot man.

Molly shut her eyes and sucked in a breath as he settled in next to her, causing the smell of her soap to hit her nose. It didn’t matter that it was the same old stuff she’d used for years. The fact that it had mingled with his heavenly skin in the steam of her shower had turned it into an unfairly intoxicating aroma. 

“Should be firmer.”

Molly’s eyes opened again. “W-what?”

“Your mattress. Should be a touch firmer for added support. You work a physical job; moving cadavers, leaning over for post-mortems and examining samples. Your posture will thank you in the years to come,” he stated flatly.

She paused, eyes darting around as she wondered how best to respond to that. “U-um...yeah, ok. Maybe I’ll look into that.”  
Another moment of silence and his voice rumbled softly in the darkness again.

“Also...I prefer a firmer mattress.”

Molly turned to look at him, seeing his profile in the moonlight. “Oh,” she squeaked. “I’ll um, keep that in mind when I’m shopping for spare beds.”

Slowly, he turned and looked back at her, speaking hesitantly. “You’d...be willing to...put me up again then?”

She smiled, though maybe he couldn’t see. “Yeah, of course, Sherlock. It’s my pleasure.” _Oops_ , she thought. Maybe not the best phraseology under the circumstances. 

“I think it’s only fair to warn you though,” he went on, “that I will likely take advantage if you agree to such an arrangement. I have been told on many occasions that I do that.”

Molly shrugged against her pillow. “No problem,” she responded brightly. “Feel free to take advantage of me.” 

She squeezed her eyes shut and felt her face heat up. God, that was even worse than the last choice of words! And to her horror she heard him chuckle next to her, clearly finding the humor in her verbal misstep.

“By the way, convenient that you don’t have a boyfriend at the moment.”

She glanced at him again in surprise. “Why?”

“I’m aware that most men would be threatened by the idea that their girlfriend would allow another man to regularly spend the night.”

“True,” she agreed. “So if I get a boyfriend-”

“Why would you get a boyfriend?” The words were barely separated as he interrupted rapid fire. 

Molly was a little taken aback. “W-why wouldn’t I?”

“Seems a stupid arrangement and you’re an intelligent woman,” he bit back. “Why waste your time?”

Molly let out a short laugh, unable to hold back her frank and unapologetic answer. “Maybe because, as an intelligent woman, I happen to know what I like. And I do actually like having a man in my bed for a reason other than the fact that he doesn’t want to be stuck in the rain.”

Sherlock cleared his throat nervously. _Good_ , Molly thought. She smiled proudly to herself at the idea that she could make him squirm just a bit. She rather hoped it wouldn’t be the last time. 

She had no idea how right she was.

She had no inkling then of the way his eyes would later widen when she’d occasionally hurry from the bathroom to her bedroom wrapped only in a towel, or when the weather turned a bit warmer and she’d opt for a long tee shirt instead of her bulky sweats. She had no way to know how his pulse would later race when she’d reach over him to grab something off the nightstand on his side, or when her leg happened to graze his beneath the covers. And naturally she had no clue of the interesting sorts of dreams that would eventually begin to fill the sleeping mind of Sherlock Holmes as she lay peacefully next to him. And she never would have guessed that on one emotionally charged night some years later, he’d unexpectedly reach out for her. 

As Molly Hooper lay there that first night, her nose filled with the smell of him and ears soothed with the sound of his breathing, none of those possibilities occurred to her. No, she was only mentally planning out some of her upcoming furniture purchases for her new flat as she slowly drifted off. And she made a special mental note, considering the circumstances of course, to put priority on a bed for that spare bedroom.

A bed which Sherlock Holmes would never end up sleeping in.


End file.
